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Relaxing into the chair again, Gabriel offered a cocky smile and said, “Nice to meet you, Hunter. Now maybe you can explain what, exactly, is going on here.”
Hunter leaned back in his chair with a long, considering look. But he didn’t say a word.
He didn’t have to.
His body language, the look on his face, the very air around him, they all said trouble.
Gabriel almost grinned.
This guy was good.
Anticipation zinged through him. A nice rush of excitement that’d make the irritation of retrieving his deal all the sweeter.
His cover was rock solid. A solicitation charge?
Brow arched, Gabriel leaned back in the chair, crossed his ankle over his knee and waited, too.
He loved this moment. Those few seconds just before the win. He could taste the victory.
A door opened behind him. Gabriel didn’t take his gaze off Hunter’s though. They were the real players in this game, nobody else mattered.
Perfume teased his senses. Something fresh. Light. It shouldn’t have tapped into his desire, and yet his body stirred.
Then she came around, standing next to Hunter’s side of the desk. Shoulders back, arms loose at her sides, she clearly stood at attention.
Shit.
Gabriel’s body warred with itself, passion punched him in the gut even as contemptuous irritation stirred.
Instead of teased out in wild curls, her blond hair was slicked back in a tidy ponytail reminiscent of the Barbie Gabriel’s sister used to carry around.
He noted with regret that instead of barely covered in glitter and a few strips of shiny fabric, those tempting breasts were now demurely hidden by a crisp white blouse, the wide collar framing her face. Paired with the gunmetal gray skirt that hugged her from hips to knees and a pair of pointy toed black heels, the look screamed business.
He missed the sexy business her other outfit had screamed. Uptight do-gooders were irritating and unappealing.
So why did he find her as hot now as he had when she was all tarted up?
“I believe you’ve met Special Agent Danita Cruz,” Hunter introduced with the slightest inclination of his head.
Special Agent?
The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. That, and the warning buzz going off in his head, said this game had just taken a turn for the worse.
His worse.
As if reading his mind, Hunter’s lips twitched. Then he inclined his head toward Gabriel as the blonde stationed herself on Hunter’s left.
She looked like the cat who was about to nibble on a canary. Gabriel shifted so both feet were flat on the floor. Defensive position, yes. But the warning buzz was getting louder. And women didn’t get that cocky without a really good reason.
Maybe he wasn’t going to wiggle out of everything quite as easily as he’d thought.
Then Hunter said, “Danita, this is Gabriel Black.”
He shot Gabriel a smug smile, just this side of cocky, and leaned back in his chair before adding, “He’s going to help us close the Black Oak case.”
2
DANITA CRUZ HAD one goal in life.
To prove she wasn’t the worthless piece of trash she’d been called so often in her early years.
She’d grown up with her mother holding the title as the meanest drunk in the trailer park. When Mom hadn’t been wasted, she’d specialized in petty drug deals and moving stolen goods. Danita’s childhood had been a revolving door of lowlife scum. Not a promising beginning. And one that Danita might not have crawled out of if not for Hunter. She’d only been fifteen when he’d busted her mother for her part in a carjacking ring. He’d locked away the boogie man, then he’d dared her to dream of life beyond her miserable past. He’d become a friend, a mentor and a nagging big brother all rolled into one.
She owed him everything.
She’d worked hard to get where she was in the FBI. She’d busted her ass to put herself through college, to put all traces of her past behind her. To build a life she could be proud of. To craft a reputation as a smart, savvy and dependable agent who followed the book and got the job done.
She glared across the room. And now this criminal, this conniving con artist, was giving her a look filled with contempt. Like she was somehow dirty.
Two hours ago, he’d been looking at her like she was his every fantasy come true. Those intense molten gold eyes had glowed with appreciation. Now they just stared with chilly disdain.
Ignoring that, she studied the face she’d seen plenty of times in surveillance photos. Elegant angles, sleek cheekbones and long-lidded eyes that made her insides want to melt. Reputedly a gambler who traveled the world following the game, the man screamed class, from the tip of his expensively styled black hair to the toes of his designer shoes.
Obviously in Gabriel Black’s case, class was easily purchased. Just like his dates.
“Danita, have a seat,” Hunter invited.
She didn’t want to sit. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be here at all. But running from the room, and away from those molten gold eyes that were staring holes right through her, was chicken. As was ignoring an order, however politely it’d been worded.
So she sat, angling her body toward Hunter as if she were dismissing the other man. Her body was painfully aware of him, though. Just being in the same room brought back the same hot, sticky need that he’d inspired when he’d kissed her.
A need she’d just as tidily ignored as she was ignoring the man who’d inspired it. Resolute, Danita squared her shoulders and tried to focus on Hunter and the case.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why we went to so much trouble to bring you here,” he was saying. “And you’re probably thinking this solicitation charge is trumped-up bullshit, easy to get out of.”
“Two for two,” Black said, his tone amused. But Danita caught the fury layered beneath that smooth surface. “You want something from me, obviously. And want it badly enough to send Blondie as bait.”
“My name is Danita,” she snapped. “Or better yet, Special Agent Cruz.”
“Babe, to me you’ll always be the hot blonde with a body that won’t quit and lips made for men’s fantasies.”
An angry red haze heated Danita’s glare. A nasty rejoinder was on the tip of her lips before she caught herself.
What was wrong with her? She was a smart, savvy woman who’d built a name by using all the tools at her disposal to great, often devastating effect.
She’d taken the detriments and scars of her childhood—the lousy upbringing, humiliating reputation and exposure to the miserable side of life—and twisted it all in her favor.
And thanks to those tools, including the idiot-inducing reaction men had to her looks and her body, had helped solidify her case closure rate at a tidy ninety-eight percent. She was damned good.
So why did she care what Gabriel Black thought of her? The man was a criminal, for crying out loud.
With that in mind, instead of snapping at him again, she leaned back in her chair and offered haughty look of disdain.
“What I want is to offer you an opportunity,” Hunter said, picking up the conversation thread Danita had almost let Black break with his mouthy remark.
“Why?”
“In part, because I believe you can be helpful to a little project of mine,” Hunter told him. Then he shrugged and offered a ghost of a smile. “And in part because we have a mutual … friend, shall we say, who’d appreciate me cutting you a little slack.”
Confusion furrowed her brow. What was going on?
Despite their history, Hunter was her boss. And he operated his task force on a need-to-know basis. So all Danita had been given when she was briefed that afternoon was the name of their quarry and the fact that the case was titled Black Oak. A woman who believed in being prepared, she’d pulled up Gabriel Black’s file. Most of it was under a confidential lock, but she’d gotten the basics: Gabriel Black was a suspected con artist with a talent for sliding out of trouble. She’d assumed Hunter planned to use the man as a tool to bust his father.
Her gaze bounced between the two men as she tried to get a handle on this shift. Because it wasn’t sounding at all like a trap to her. There was something else going on.
“Here’s the deal. We have you on a minor charge. To you, it’s an inconvenience.” Hunter paused long enough for the other man to nod. Danita noticed Black didn’t look cocky anymore. His eyes were narrow with suspicion, his brow furrowed and fingers tapping an irritated rhythm on his knee. Smart man.
“Inconveniences are a tricky thing, though,” Hunter continued. “Sometimes they are easily swept away. And sometimes they blow up into something bigger. Something more long-term. Five to seven years long.”
The tapping stopped. Black leaned forward, both hands flat on his thighs. “You don’t have anything worth five to seven.”
“Actually, I do. Those internet security documents you left at the hotel, along with the contract the gentleman enthusiastically signed, are easily worth at least that long.”
“It sounds like you have enough to get my attention. But not my cooperation.” Black leaned back, both brows arched as he waited.
“Oh, I have a little more.”
“Do tell.”
“Tobias, Caleb and Maya,” Hunter said, drawing out the names like a man who knew he’d just played a winning hand.
If the stunned look on Gabriel’s face was anything to go by, those names were the jackpot. A jackpot he hadn’t expected—and didn’t want to lose.
“You don’t have anything on them,” he said. His words were quiet. But there was a deadly fury beneath them. Danita’s breath lodged in her throat and her body tensed, as if she’d have to break up a vicious fistfight any second now.
“I have a witness who is willing to testify about Tobias Black’s role in running illegal arms and drugs. The FBI has compiled a solid case and we’re ready to proceed without your cooperation.”
Black’s jaw worked. The same eyes that had looked at her so tenderly earlier were furious slits. Finally he arched one brow and asked, “What’s that to do with Caleb and Maya?”
Danita looked at Hunter, looking forward to his answer. Instead of saying anything, though, he lifted a file off his desk and handed it to the man across from him. Black held his gaze as he took it, then slowly, lowered his eyes and read.
The man was good. Damned good. His expression didn’t change. But Danita could tell that the file was freaking him out. When he was finished, he didn’t hand it back to Hunter. Instead he flicked the edges like it was nothing, and gave her boss a bored look.
“So you’ve found a few past indiscretions on my brother and sister. They were both minors at the time of these crimes. Do you really think you can prove their culpability after all this time? And make it matter? I don’t think so,” Gabriel dismissed.
“No. You’re right, there probably isn’t any way to convict them for something ten years old,” Hunter mused. “But your brother is in law enforcement. A few words in the right ear, and his career can take a serious nosedive.”
Anger flashed in Gabriel’s eyes, telling Danita that Hunter had scored a direct hit.
“Then there’s your sister. She does have an actual crime against her.” Expressionless, Hunter handed a second file across the desk.
Face hard, Gabriel took it. Danita could almost hear his teeth grinding together as he read the pages.
“As you can see, we have enough to reopen the case against your sister,” Hunter pointed out quietly. “Whether we could get a conviction is debatable. But I can’t imagine she’d enjoy the trial.”
Gabriel looked like he wanted to jump across the desk and beat the hell out of Hunter. Then, like a switch, it all shut off. The fury in his eyes, the air of frustration. Even the tension seemed to flow out of his body. He leaned back and gave Hunter a bored shrug.
“Entrapment and blackmail,” Gabriel mused. “You have an interesting game plan here.”
“I hear there’s a big celebration planned in Black Oak in two weeks,” was all Hunter said. But his smile was pure satisfaction. “Hadn’t you heard? Your brother is getting married. A Valentine’s wedding, as a matter of fact. A week or so of parties, rehearsals, prenuptial fun. I’ll bet your family would love for you to be there.”
From the shocked look in Gabriel’s eyes, he hadn’t heard.
And just where did she fit into this little game, Danita wondered. As if reading her mind, Hunter slanted her a look.
“The two of you are going to go to Black Oak under the guise of joining your brother’s wedding celebrations,” he informed them. “Arrangements have already been made for you to take part in a criminal gathering that’s taking place there. Your special skills will appeal to the other guests. You’re there to cause discomfort, to gather information and to observe. Not to take any action. After two weeks, your job is done.”
“I don’t need Blondie for that.”
“She’ll be there to keep you in line, to solidify your cover and to take over after you’ve gotten her in the door.”
“What cover, and why would I need her?” His gaze was like liquid gold as it slid over her, making Danita feel both hot and just a tiny bit worried at the same time.
“You’ll go in as a man who plays the game,” Hunter said in a contemplative tone, like a guy weaving a bedtime story. “Your reputation is already established, your talents well-known. So basically, you’re going in as yourself. Your goal is to meet a small group of businessmen whose focus is to consolidate power. These are smart men who will quickly see why including you has the potential for multiplying that power. The intel points to an as yet unknown leader who is calling all of the shots. Rumor is that leader is Tobias Black. You know him, his style and his methods well enough to be able to recognize whether that’s true or not.”
“Screw that,” Gabriel growled, tossing the files on the desk. “I’m not going to send up my own father. No way in hell. I’ll go to jail myself first.”
“Then why don’t you take this as a chance to prove his innocence? Before someone else sends him up.”
Those words, and the friendly tone of advice that they’d been offered in, made Gabriel pause. He gave Hunter a searching look.
So did Danita. She was baffled. Hunter was usually professional to the point of abruptness. But with this guy, this con artist, he was teetering right over the line into friendliness.
“All you need to do is visit your hometown, be yourself, and listen for information. In and out, no fuss, no muss.”
“And Blondie?”
“The men are rumored to be bringing along lady friends for entertainment. Professionals. Danita, basically, is going in as your paid companion.”
“My very own hooker,” Black said with a taunting smile.
“What?” Forgetting professionalism, to hell with keeping her cool, Danita jumped to her feet. “No! Hunter this was just a fishing trip. You didn’t say anything about a long-term assignment.”
Not that she’d have said no when he’d brought her on the case. Hunter had been her trainer. He was her boss. Her hero.
And now her pimp?
“This is a bad idea, Hunter. I’m not the right person for this job.” Not because she couldn’t handle it. Hell, it was right up her alley. But Gabriel Black? Him, she couldn’t handle.
